The Ringer MLB Show

The Ringer’s Mallory Rubin and Ryan O’Hanlon present the casual fan’s guide to baseball playoffs by explaining what they look forward to most in October (2:10). Plus, they are joined by The Ringer’s resident Cubs fan Robert Mays to chat about his team’s chances of repeating as the World Series champions (50:19).

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The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Michael Baumann talk about their takeaways from the Yankees' and Diamondbacks' lengthy and eventful wins in the wild-card games, focusing on how those games may have given us a glimpse at what's in store for the rest of the playoffs (02:00). Then they preview all four division series matchups, with prop bets and predictions (13:00).

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The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Michael Baumann celebrate the extension of Clayton Kershaw's ERA reduction streak (01:00), then bring on their colleague Zach Kram for a wide-ranging playoff preview, including thoughts on wild-card game formats and strategy (10:30), the lopsided nature of this year's wild-card matchups (22:15), whether there's such a thing as a way to win in the playoffs (25:00), which relievers and bullpens are best suited for heavy playoff workloads (32:00), which teams might be at a particular advantage or disadvantage in October (37:00), and which teams might produce the best stories this month (44:00).

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The Ringer’s Ben Lindbergh and Michael Baumann banter about Michael’s blasts-from-the-past Diamond Mind draft (0:20) and the White Sox broadcast crew’s beliefs about batting around (2:50), then discuss the evolution of BBWAA awards voting (0:00), why some of this season’s awards races are too close to call (5:35), and which players they would pick for MVP, Cy Young, and Rookie of the Year (11:10). Later, they bring back baseball historian, writer, and podcaster Steven Goldman to discuss ex-player precedents for Derek Jeter’s ascension to an ownership role with the Marlins (21:45), why the transition from beloved, legendary player to baseball-operations executive doesn’t always go smoothly (24:15), and whether the Marlins will be better off under the Jeter regime (29:50).

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The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Michael Baumann banter about the Nationals' 'Game of Thrones' cosplay (02:00), the Angels' possible salary manipulation (03:30), and the Rockies-Brewers wild-card race (07:00). Then they talk to Yahoo Sports columnist Jeff Passan about Oakland catcher Bruce Maxwell's decision to kneel during the national anthem (12:30), the debate about extending the netting at MLB ballparks (40:00), and the latest outlook for Shohei Otani's potential free agency (50:00). Lastly, they discuss a new baseball acronym and the stakes in Clayton Kershaw's last regular-season start (58:00).

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The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Michael Baumann begin by recounting the best listener-submitted nicknames for their guest on the previous episode, Blue Jays hit-by-pitch machine Nick Sinay (01:30). Then, with most of the pennant races decided, Ben and Michael list some of the best reasons to pay attention to the rest of regular-season baseball, from the few remaining playoff races to team records to individual accomplishments (04:00). Lastly, they bring on FanGraphs writer Travis Sawchik to discuss whether home runs will keep coming at record rates (30:30), and how the current high-home-run environment complicates scouting and team-building (41:00).

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The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Michael Baumann dissect the stats of Blue Jays minor leaguer Nick Sinay, one of the most hit-by-pitch-prone players of all time (02:15), and play a quick game of "Pitcher who's posted at least a 50 Game Score in the last 30 days or pop-punk/emo front man" (09:30). Then they bring on Sinay to find out why and where he gets hit so often (16:30), how many bruises he has (21:00), how he stays on the field despite getting plunked every other game (on average) (23:00), and whether his unique style of play can take him higher on the minor league ladder (30:00).

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The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Michael Baumann discuss Cleveland's record winning streak (02:45), the prospect of Shohei Otani signing with an MLB team this offseason (05:45), and the continued offensive excellence of the Phillies' Rhys Hoskins (10:30). Then, in a special Space Week crossover, they bring on Ira Steven Behr, former executive producer and showrunner of 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,' to reminisce about the origin, making, and legacy of the legendary 'Deep Space Nine' baseball episode, "Take Me Out to the Holosuite" (14:45).

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The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Michael Baumann talk about the teams in the midst of baseball's worst of times and best of times, bringing on L.A. Times beat writer Andy McCullough to diagnose the slumping Dodgers (who've lost 10 in a row and 15 of 16) (03:00) and then MLB.com beat writer Jordan Bastian to discuss the unbeatable Indians (who've won 18 in a row and at least temporarily claimed the AL's best record) (36:00).

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The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Michael Baumann banter about their enthusiasm for next month's probable playoff matchups (01:00), examine the significance (if any) of the Dodgers' slump and the Indians' and Diamondbacks' hot streaks (03:30), and discuss the Red Sox–Yankees sign-stealing scandal (18:30). Then they bring on longtime baseball scout and executive Tony Blengino for an insider's perspective on sign-stealing (26:00), whether baseball's prohibition on internet-connected devices in the dugout makes sense in an information-rich era (31:00), how the game might change if that ban is lifted (36:45), the state of grudges and gamesmanship between teams (46:00), and the future of scouting in the age of motion-tracking technology (48:45).

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